


Just this once

by Serene_Sanity



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Awkward Dates, F/M, First Kiss, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Rare Pairings, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-01-31 13:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21447061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serene_Sanity/pseuds/Serene_Sanity
Summary: Celeste never cared to celebrate her birthday and would normally just treat it like any other day. That was until she got a visit from an unexpected person who was determined to show her a good time.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Celestia Ludenberg
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	Just this once

Light blue skies sent rays of light throughout the expensive mansion creating a winsome scene throughout the heavily decorated room. A scene that most would pay to see...But it was no where near as beautiful as the person within the mansion's walls. Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler....A few years back she graduated from Hope's Peak academy and like the recruiters promised her, she achieved an immense amount of success due to her graduating with her talent. With that, she was able to gain whatever she wanted through her funds. 

Her pale fingers wrapped themselves around the small cup of tea with her other hand holding the saucer in place. She enjoyed the satisfying noise that came whenever she brought the cup away from mouth to sit it on the saucer. It was such an insignificant thing, but it was such a pleasant sound to her ears in the deathly silent room.

She let out a sigh as her bright red eyes beamed through window to the outside world. Watching the days go by without a care in the world.....that was how she liked to spend her days. At least....that's what she thought. On a normal day, she would have just gone to her room to catch up on her reading, but today wasn't normal. It was the 23rd of November...the day she was brought into this world. She usually didn't care about this day, but it was different this time around. 

Despite her not really caring about her birthday, her classmates would always remind her of how special the day was for her. But ever since they graduated, most of her classmates never kept in contact with her....with exception of Naegi and Yamada of course. Naegi made sure to stay in contact with all of his classmates and Yamada just had a weird one-sided relationship with her. She would hold conversations with Yamada, but it wouldn't take long for it to venture off into some weird conversation about 2-D girls. Sure she felt bad for him at times, but there wasn't really much of a reason for her to pity him enough to form any sort of relationship with him. It was such a shame....He would have made an excellent Butler if he weren't so weird.

Byakuya, Chihiro, and Sayaka would always send gifts on her birthday, but would never contact her on any other day. She wasn't really offended by this. She understood that everyone had their own lives now...them growing apart was almost inevitable. But it was days like this that made her wish she had friends..or even perhaps a significant other to spend the day with.She finished her tea and was about to retire to her bedroom for some reading, but was interrupted by her butler entering the room. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt your morning tea time Ms. Ludenburg, but it appears you have a visitor. Shall I let them in?" Celeste couldn't remember the last time she had a visitor. Most of the time, she would just receive a phone call. "Did they reveal their name to you?" She said trying to hide the fact that she was surprised and a little bit excited.

"Yes. I believe he said his name was Kiyotaka Ishumaru." This time Celeste couldn't hide the fact that she was surprised. She didn't know who she expected to visit, but it certainly wasn't him..."I will let him in myself. Thank you." "Very well." He said as he left the room with Celeste following after him. 

_"What could he possibly want?"_ Celeste thought to herself halfway intrigued and halfway annoyed. She always remembered him as someone who is too loud and has too many rules. Not the type of person she would usually associate herself with. But it would be incredibly rude for her to turn him away after he went through the trouble of actually visiting her. 

When she opened the door, she saw him standing there wearing his usual white uniform with his black boots. He looked really nervous. _"Some things just never change I suppose..." _

"G-Good morning Celes-san!" He said awkwardly bowing at her. She rolled her eyes at this and was almost tempted to just close the door in his face, but that would be rude. Naegi had given her advice before about being nicer to people. And while it was a pain at times, it did feel good to be a little nicer every now and then. Though...she would never admit this out loud.

"Ah Ishimaru-kun....What a pleasant surprise! Please come in." She said smiling sweetly as she gestured him inside. 

There was an awkward silence between the two of them as they sat next to each other on Celeste's couch. He handed her a box of seemingly expensive chocolates and a card. "I-I didn't really know what t-to get you, I hope this is okay." He swallowed hard. Celeste wondered what he was so nervous about? Was she really that intimidating? It isn't like this is there first time being around each other. In fact, they even played games with each other back when they were still attending Hope's Peak. He never won of course, which resulted in him having to bring her snacks from the dinning hall. 

She chuckled and shot him a fake smile. "You efforts are appreciated, but I must ask.....Why did you come all this way?" 

"I err....Ah yes! I remember now! I....I came here to ask you out on a date.." His sudden burst of confidence was almost too overwhelming for Celeste. He seemed like a nervous wreck just a couple minutes ago, now it had seemed like he was the most confident person in the world. _"He's so....strange."_ She thought, but it was kinda charming....in a weird way. 

She was inclined to say no, but that had only been due to her reflexes. Usually when men asked her out, she would quickly and automatically decline. It became a habit she didn't understand. Maybe it was due to them being too generic and uninteresting. But with Ishimaru, it seemed like he was a little more interesting to her. She admired his confidence and he is a little bit handsome....No, she was thinking too much into this. He just wanted to take her out for her birthday. That's all.

"Just so we are clear.....You want to take me out on a date?" She asked staring directly at him with her beaming red eyes. "Y-Yeah...I just thought since it is your birthday, you would like to do something special." And just like that....the confidence he had a few minutes ago, disappeared. 

"Hm..normally I would not grant someone like_ you_ the privilege of taking me out....." She said twirling her hair around her finger. When she looked at him, she could swear she saw what remained of his confidence began to leave his body. She almost felt bad, but she couldn't help but smirk at this.

"...but since it is a special occasion...I will accept your offer...Just this once. Please understand that this will not be a regular thing between us." 

"Understood! And don't worry Celes-san...I will make sure that it is the best date you've ever been on!" He stood tall and proud as he said this with his hands placed upon his hips as he smiled at her. She let out a sigh. "If you say so.." Celeste herself wondered why he was so serious about this. He made it seem like it was an important job that needed to be done....when in reality, all they were doing was going out on a date. You would think they were going out to save the world or something. Well, he isn't that far off.....she is a very high maintenance person that deserved nothing less than what is best for her. So, she couldn't complain too much on that end. 

Celeste herself still didn't understand why he wanted to take her out so bad, but there was no point in questioning things now. She had already agreed to go out with him. Besides, there was no reason to overthink things since they were only going out as friends. 

* * *

She arrived to the restaurant he wanted to meet her at right on time. It wasn't a surprise that he was already there when she arrived. And knowing him, he was probably ten minutes early. Typical of him. Although...she had to admit, he did look pretty handsome wearing a black tux. She hadn't expected someone like him to clean up so nicely. He would make the perfect vampire butler if he weren't so annoying and full of rules. She was getting a head of herself again....they were just doing this as friends. There was no reason for her to look at him in that manner. 

"Good evening Celes-san. You look wonderful!" He greeted her taking another nervous bow. Celeste had to resist the the strong urge to roll her eyes. She'd promised herself no matter how annoying he became, she would keep her composure. "Thank you Ishimaru-kun. You don't look too bad yourself." She said trying to downplay how good he looked in his tux. If she revealed how she really felt, he'd probably never let it go. 

"T-Thank you Celes-san....L-Let's head in shall we?" A slight tint of red made its way on to his face. This of course didn't go unnoticed by Celeste. It was strange how he seemed so confident yet, easily flustered at the same time. She could tell that this was going to be a long night for them both. 

Once inside, the two of them sat down and proceeded to order.

They sat there in silence for a couple of minutes. Celeste had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. She could tell that he was still nervous by the way he sat there in silence staring down at the table. He didn't even attempt to have any sort of a conversation with her. How rude! This was already turning out to be an awful date. Apart of her wanted to leave, but she knew it wouldn't be very ladylike of her to walk out on their date. Especially after they've already ordered. It almost felt hopeless, but then she thought of something to help entertain herself. 

"_~Ishimaru-Kun..~_" She said in a low flirtatious tone as rested her chin on hands stared at him. He must have been deep in thought about something considering how he almost jumped out of his seat at his name being called. Celeste of course found this to be amusing, but she kept her composure. When his eyes finally landed upon hers his face was a sweaty mess. 

"Y-Yes Celes-san?" 

"Tell me.....what made you want to ask me out? Do you do this with all the girls from our class? Or am I just special to you in some way?" She asked jokingly. 

"Huh!? O-Of course not! You're the only girl I've ever done this for!" He looked appalled at the fact she would assume he'd date multiple women at once. "Oh! so that must mean I'm special to you." Ishimaru let out a nervous chuckle. "I err.....I guess you would be right in believing that." Celeste was slightly caught off guard by that. She hadn't expected him to just outright admit that to her. She wondered if he really meant it. He wasn't the type to just lie for fun. But still. If he really meant it.....

"Then tell me....what is so special about me?" She was genuinely curious. So, her tone was no longer playful or full of mischief. 

"I uhm....Well um...I'm not really good with giving compliments...especially to women." He swallowed nervously. However, Celeste never took her eyes off him. This was one of the few times where she didn't purposely try to intimidate someone, but he was still nervous. 

"Well....now would be a good start. Don't you think?" She batted her eyelashes at him in a playful manner, but there was also a hint of seriousness behind her expression. Of course, someone like Ishimaru wouldn't notice this. He was too busy trying to come up with the perfect response to Celeste's question. Honestly, he would be so easy to manipulate, but she had no interest in that right now. She was genuinely curious about why he found her so special.

He swallowed nervously and began to speak. "R-Right....Well, for starters I think that you are a very beautiful woman. And I-I enjoy your intelligence and how you seem to carry yourself with such class." 

Celeste was shocked to hear something like that come out of Ishimaru. Being who he was, she had honestly expected him to say something stupid or awkward, but clearly that wasn't the case. He had actually given her a great compliment and she didn't know how to feel about that. There was this unfamiliar feeling bubbling up inside her and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. She really hoped that her makeup was strong enough to mask her blush. 

"Thank you Ishimaru-kun." She said trying not to show how flustered she was. 

The two of them sat there in an awkward silence as they ate their food. Despite being silent, there were various thoughts streaming through Celeste's mind. Her plan to tease Ishimaru had completely backfired on her and she ended getting herself flustered in the process. Had she really allowed herself to become vulnerable to someone like him? She didn't want believe that was the case, but she couldn't ignore the feeling. Could he really be someone capable of staying by her side? Her mind began to wonder..

"C-Celes-san are you alright!?" Ishimaru asked,with a considerable amount of concern in his voice. She seemed lost in a trance and the sound of his voice almost caught her off guard. "Hmph. Of course dear. Why would I not be okay?" She found herself once again trying to mask how she really felt. This little 'date' of theirs was turning out to be harder than she thought. 

"Er...no reason, but you'd better eat. You wouldn't want your food getting cold now would you?" Celeste placed fingers against her lips and let out a small giggle. "I suppose you are right about that." His concern for her was rather charming. He most likely showed this level of concern for everyone else, but there was just something special about the way he spoke to her. Or maybe she was just overthinking again. A bad habit of hers. They began to finish up their meals for the night without saying too much to one another. 

Once they finished eating, Ishimaru insisted on walking her back home even though she didn't really need him to. He was very persistent, so, she decided it would be less of a hassle to just let him walk her. At least that's what she told herself. A small part of her was actually pretty happy that he offered to take her home. 

"I have to say....I really enjoyed our time together." She spoke breaking the silence between them.

"You did!?" He said as if he was surprised by what she said. But he quickly cleared his throat trying keep himself calm. Celeste couldn't help but giggle at this. "I-I mean you did....Well, I'm glad you did. I really wanted this day this day to be special for you Celes-san." Her expression fell at this. Not because she was upset, but because she couldn't deal with being talked to like that. No had ever been this nice to her before without her having to ask them to. Not even Naegi. 

"So, really mean that.." Her voice was flat and lacking in tone. "Of course Celes-san. You deserve it!" _"ugh...why won't he stop?"_ She thought feeling herself becoming more vulnerable. Him speaking this way to her was beginning to be too much for her. Who knew such simple statements could throw her off balance like this?

"Well...looks like we're here....T-Thanks again for allowing me to do this Celes-san" Celeste didn't respond to this. She only stood there silently looking him in the eye. She didn't know she was capable of feeling so many things at once, but here she was....

"Um..Celes-san? Are you alri-" Whatever Ishimaru was about to say never came as he was pulled into deep kiss. He certainly had not expected things to end up like this. All he wanted to do was be nice and show Celeste a good time for her birthday. He would have never thought he'd be receiving his first kiss in the process. 

Celeste on the other hand, wasn't sure what came over her and why she decided to kiss him. Had she really enjoyed his company that much? It seemed like it. She let out a barely audible whimper when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her waist. It surprised her, but she didn't resist or try to pull away. It only made her hold on to him tighter. She had never been held like this before. It almost seemed unreal at the moment.

It wasn't known how long they stayed like this, but when they finally pulled away from each, their faces were flushed and they were both lightly panting. Ishimaru was about to speak, but before he could, Celeste grabbed on to his shirt once again. But this time, she didn't kiss him. She pulled him closer, so that his face was only a couple inches away from her own.

"I swear if you tell anybody about this, they'll have to hire the most top notch search team to find your remains. You got that?" She asked scowling at him. Ishimaru wasn't sure what to say..All he could do was unconsciously nod at her weird threatening request. Why did she just suddenly threaten him? And where did her accent go? Despite Celeste's calm and sweet demeanor, she could be quite threatening at times. 

Her facial expression returned to normal as she let go of his shirt. "Excellent. I'm glad we have an understanding." She said smiling sweetly as she clasped her hands together under her chin. "I er....r-right. I heard you loud and clear!" 

She turned to enter her home, but paused and turned back to him."Oh and please be careful on your way back. I would hate for us to not have a second date."

"W-What!? I thought you said-"

"Yes, I know what I said. But you have impressed me tonight and if you manage to impress me again, then I may improve your rank." Ishimaru smiled and nodded at her. She kiss gave him one last peck on the lips before turning away from him once more. "Goodnight Celes-san"

"Goodnight Ishimaru-kun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday to best girl! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday to best girl! :)


End file.
